Dorothy Cannell here: Arrived back home Monday evening after a fabulous long weekend at Malice Domestic 26, in Bethesda Maryland.  We have a very dear friend, Barbara, visiting us.  She usually comes out from England for a couple of weeks each year, but chose early May this time in order to attend the event with us.  We drove instead of flying, or I should say Julian drove.  He isn’t keen on sharing this chore with me because my top speed is thirty miles an hour, and I grudgingly see his point.  Having left home at 4 a.m. Thursday we should have arrived around 5 p.m., but the final six miles on the beltway took an hour and a quarter reminding us that Maine may have long winters, but does not have Traffic; at least not in our neck of the woods.

         Malice Domestic is an annual mystery convention started by Elizabeth Peters and a group of enthusiasts to honor the traditional mystery.  She had contacted me after my first book The Thin Woman was published and we became very close in the following years.  Sadly, as many of you may know, she died last year. There was a huge sense of loss amongst all her friends, but the remembering was wonderful and we had a get-together with a round of toasts to her memory.

Kathy Lynn Emerson was this year’s guest of honor.  For all of us who love her books, the honor was well and truly deserved.  I felt very privileged to have received, along with Margaret Maron and Joan Hess, the Malice Lifetime Achievement award.  It truly was a fairy tale week-end.  One for the memory books.  I may be prejudiced but I think people who love books are the nicest in the world.

Returning home might have felt a bit of a letdown, but our friend Barbara will be with us for another week.  Yesterday I collected new addition to the family – a half Siamese, half Himalayan kitten.  May have much more to report on him later.  Our other cat made a token protest (some muttering about running away from home) but has decided to treat newcomer with dignified distain.  Dog Teddy is beside himself with joy and kitty (Simeon) has made it clear he wants to be pals.  Husband, Julian, reacted at first as if I’d given birth to another man’s child.  (Would be miracle equivalent to Abraham’s Sarah.)  But he is now considering whether Simeon should be raised Episcopalian or Jewish.

My latest book Murder at Mullings has just been released by Severn House, and Sea Glass Summer is now available as trade paperback or as e-book.

Happy spring!  And most of all – happy reading.